Iran Begins Its Charm Offensive With Its Arab Neighbours Over Its Nuclear Deal

Reuters: Iran launches charm offensive among wary Gulf Arabs

Iran's foreign minister called on Sunday for a united front among all Middle Eastern nations to fight militancy, in his first regional trip after reaching a nuclear deal with world powers that raised concerns among Iran's Gulf Arab neighbors.

"Any threat to one country is a threat to all... No country can solve regional problems without the help of others," Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a news conference hosted by the Iranian embassy in Kuwait.

Zarif earlier met Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah and his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah, who was not present at the press conference.

Zarif began the one-day, three-country tour by visiting Kuwait. He was due to go on to Qatar and then Iraq.

Update #1: Iran's Top Diplomat Tours Arab States Following Nuclear Deal -- VOA/AP
Update #2: Iran's FM Begins Regional Tour Following Nuclear Deal -- Radio Free Europe

WNU Editor: This is not going to be an easy sell.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari Visits Disputed Persian Gulf Islands

Analysis: Iran Commander's Trip to Disputed Islands Frays UAE Nerves -- New York Times/Reuters

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - A visit by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander to three tiny islands near the Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane revives a bitter territorial dispute between Gulf antagonists - and trade partners - Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Abu Dhabi has yet to comment on Thursday's trip by Mohammad Ali Jafari, but like other Gulf Arab capitals it reacted angrily when Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad toured one of the islands in April, and recalled its envoy from Tehran in protest.

Read more ....

More News On Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari Visiting Disputed Persian Gulf Islands

Iran's Guards commander visits disputed island: TV -- Reuters
Iran's Guard commander visits disputed islands -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari Visits Disputed Persian Gulf Islands -- IBTimes
Iran Guards chief visits disputed Gulf islands -- Daily Star
Iran engages in provocation with UAE: Guards chief visits disputed Gulf islands -- Middle East Online

My Comment: Iran is claiming to extend a hand of friendship and cooperation with the Arab Gulf states .... but it does not look like they are "buying" it.

Another Flashpoint Of Tension Between Iran And The Gulf Arabs

In Iran's Backyard, War Games May Spark New Conflict -- Haaretz

The tiny Gulf islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb may become a new theater of conflict between Tehran and the neighboring Sunni countries.

While nearly all the international attention regarding the Iranian nuclear program has been devoted to a potential Israeli strike, a possible conflict has been brewing much closer to Iran's borders, and could now be reaching boiling point.

Yesterday and today, the Peninsula Shield Force, the military coordinating army of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which is essentially the NATO of the Sunni countries around the Persian Gulf, carrying out a war-game titled "Islands of Loyalty." While there are few official details of the exercise which is meant to "test the harmony and coordination among ground, air and naval forces and their readiness," the name is certainly no coincidence.

Read more ....

My Comment: These islands hold a strategic position in the Persian Gulf. One can easily see from the above map on why the Iranians do not want to give it up.

Cohen: Fear Of Iran Tops Middle East's Wrath Against Israel

From The Washington Times:

Former Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said Tuesday that fears about Iran have replaced animosity toward Israel as the top concern of governments in the Persian Gulf and the broader Middle East.

Mr. Cohen, a former senator from Maine who was the only Republican in President Clinton's Cabinet, from 1997 to 2001, also warned the Obama administration that it would be a "mistake" to promise Russia to scale back plans for a missile-defense shield in Europe before Moscow helps stop Iran's nuclear ambitions. He gently chided top administration officials for recent comments criticizing Russia, which he said needlessly antagonized a Kremlin still resentful of U.S. treatment after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Read more ....

My Comment: Some of the worst wars in the Middle East have been religious .... wars not with Israel but wars within Islam itself. The Sunni - Shiite split brings chills to those who are sensitive to their regions history .... a sensitivity that gets worse when everyone realizes that Iran today gives no sense of confidence or reassurance that their intentions are peaceful.

On the contrary .... their behavior is hostile and very aggressive.